Overview
- The three-month consultation opens today and runs until 26 May, with separate surveys for adults and for children and teenagers.
- Options under review include a legal minimum age for social media, overnight curfews for teens, switches to disable infinite scroll and autoplay, and tighter age checks covering VPNs, livestreaming and location sharing.
- Children’s interactions with AI chatbots are in scope, with officials citing risks of emotional dependency and disclosure of intimate thoughts to life‑like systems.
- The government will run real‑world pilots with families and teenagers to assess bans, curfews and daily screen‑time limits, and says changes could take effect within months.
- International experience is informing the UK approach as Australia enforces an under‑16 ban and considers blocking non‑compliant AI services, while charities like the NSPCC warn a blanket ban could drive children to less regulated spaces.